Soapnut Tree

Location in BHU campus:Planted in Ayurvedic garden

Botanical name : Sapindus mukorossi Gaertn.L.

Family : Sapindaceae

Vernacular / local Name : Hindi-Ritha; Kannada-Aralakai; Tamil –Poochi kai; Malayalam-Pasakotta; Telugu-Konkudu

English names : Soapnut

A medium sized tree.Leaves pinnate ,crowded near end of branches,leaflets 10-16,lanceolate-oblong,acuminate or obtuse.Flowers white or purple in terminal and lateral panicles.fruit subglobose,fleshy,saponaceous.

Flowering and Fruiting : May-Feb

• Sacred value

It is associated with the constellation Hast (Delta Corvi).

• Uses

The fruits are commonly used as substitute of soap for washing clothes ,hair and jewellery.